Contributing Author: Alex R.
None – Thesan FR4
- Replenish | Single Point Sling/Oiled Frame | Life Support/Exhumed (Solar)
- Army of One | Single Point Sling/Injection Mold | Underdog/Exhumed (Arc)
- Army of One | Snapshot/Hand-Laid Stock | Unflinching/Exhumed (Void)
Hold off this week, Guardians! We’re looking for Accelerated Coils as a baseline, here, along with things like Hot Swap and Unflinching in PVP, or Grenadier in PVE.
For the first time ever, the function of Rangefinder has actually been explained by Bungie: It does not affect Bolt Speed, but does reduce Recoil and extend damage drop-off while ADS based on your scope’s Zoom Factor + .1. That recoil reduction does matter on Fusion Rifles, and should make shots feel slightly more accurate. For reference, Torch has a 1.2x Zoom factor, so while ADS it should reduce recoil by roughly 16.6% if I follow the explanation correctly. Add in Rangefinder to make it 1.3 and the recoil reduction increases to 23%.
This gives it definite value, although also not making a clear first choice in all cases. To check out other scopes, grab their Zoom Factors here, then do some math to get the recoil reduction %: 1-(1/(.1+Z) x 100 = R (Z is your Zoom Factor and R is your Recoil Reduction).
#2 or #3 – Kumakatok HC4
- Third Eye|Light Weight/Braced Frame|Rescue Mag/Eye of the Storm
- Mulligan|Extendad Mag/Rifled Barrel|Triple Tap/Eye of the Storm
- Third Eye|Snapshot/Braced Frame|Rescue Mag/Exhumed
Accuracy on low range Hand Cannons has been restored to some extent, but I still want to do damage to people more than 10 feet away. Roll 2 is the best roll this week, but certainly not the best we can get, so if you’re not in a hurry, wait for something better. If you are, this ain’t bad.
#1 – Lyudmila-D
- Army of One | Counterbalance | Snapshot/Speed Reload/Reinforced Barrel
- Last Resort | Zen Moment | High Caliber Rounds/Fitted Stock/Hand Laid Stock
- Headseeker | Rangefinder | Snapshot/Fitted Stock/Hand Laid Stock
We got Counterbalance there, and Headseeker / HLS down here – now if only we could get them together! Keep the faith, Guardians!
The cooldown reductions from Army of One and Speed Reload’s boost to reload speed are good quality of life improvements for your PvE experience, should you decide to take this gun with you on your striking or raiding adventures.
#2/none – SUROS PDX-41
- Perfect Balance/Oiled Frame | Take a Knee | Snapshot/Hand-Laid Stock
- Hammer Forged/Casket Mag | Full Auto | Single Point Sling/Reinforced Barrel
- Hammer Forged/Oiled Frame | Take a Knee | Speed Reload/Reinforced Barrel
The PDX-41 has the chance to be deadly. Thus, we’re willing to wait for a perfect roll, which would include the likes of some range buffs and Counterbalance. Roll #2 seems enticing, but once you fire a gun with that straightened recoil pattern, you’ll never go back! Although the new patch is targeting Counterbalance, it remains one of the most powerful perks available in its slot, and we still highly recommend it.
#3 – Uzume RR4
- Army of One | Quickdraw/Reinforced Barrel | Clown Cartridge/Eye of the Storm
- Triple Tap | Quickdraw/Casket Mag | Life Support/Mulligan
- Performance Bonus | Single Point Sling/Injection Mold | Clown Cartridge/Eye of the Storm
The Uzume is well suited for PvE encounters, and what a great roll we have here for PvE! Performance Bonus and Clown Cartridge will add up to much more ammo in the long run, and Injection Mold combined with the low-zoom Faucon scope will help you keep things under control when the ether hits the fan. These bonuses will translate to PvP as well, so feel free to take this roll into non-revive game modes.
[divider]
Notable Rolls from Other Weapons
Suros ARI-41: Roll 1 or 2
- Perfect Balance/Casket Mag | Snapshot/Reinforced Barrel | Private Eye
- Perfect Balance/Oiled Frame | Lightweight/Reinforced Barrel | Icarus
Roll 1 is my pick here – Perfect Balance + Reinforced Barrel is a fantastic combo on this gun, giving you great effective Range and solid recoil control. With the explanation of how Zoom Factor affects recoil, Private Eye’s extended zoom may be worth a second look to push out your effective range. Roll 2 isn’t bad either, though, with the SPO-28 to keep you on target. Icarus is probably worthless though.
Uffern HC4: Roll 3
- Army of One | Single Point Sling/Reinforced Barrel | Icarus/Surrounded
This is actually pretty solid, Army of One aside. Sureshot, Reinforced, Icarus – accuracy and range will still make all the difference for Hand Cannons so far as I can see right now.
Eirene RR4: Roll 3 for PVP
- Performance Bonus- Single Point Sling/ Hand-laid Stock- Replenish/ Mulligan
This is a pretty okay PVP roll for Eirene. I would prefer Unflinching on the third slot, but Replenish is a free magazine after you use your Super, which isn’t too hard to take advantage of, and makes for a nice comeback tool if the enemy has been controlling Special.
Cocytus SR4: Roll 2
- Life Support | Single Point Sling/Hand Laid Stock | Third Eye/Eye of the Storm
This should make a lot of people very happy! Life Support is certainly a favorite perk in that slot for many people, and debatably the best choice from a very situational set of perks. You have your choice of improved Equip and Strafe speeds, or a nice Stability bump, and then again you have a great choice in the last column too: the ever-useful Third Eye, or Eye of the Storm to boost accuracy as you take damage. It’s just plain good all around!
SUROS DIS-43: Roll 1
- Perfect Balance / Appended Magazine | Counterbalance | Single Point Sling / Reinforced Barrel
Wow, what a great roll on this Scout Rifle! A bit unconventional, but between Perfect Balance and Counterbalance, there should be very little recoil to speak of. It already has huge Range, so take advantage of SPS to speed up your Equip time and out-strafe your enemies. Nothing bad to say about it here!
[divider]
Next Week’s Orders
| Weapon | Type | Impact | Notable Stat |
| Zarinaea-D | Auto Rifle | Medium | Reload (65) |
| SUROS DIS-43 | Scout Rifle | Medium | Range (77) |
| SUROS JLB-47 | Launcher | n/a | Blast (74) |
| Aoife Rua-D | Sniper Rifle | Medium | Reload (68) |
| Uzume RR4 | Sniper Rifle | Low | Reload (75) |
Zarinaea-D
PVP Rating: A
The additional damage nerf to the high Rate of Fire auto rifles makes these mid-tier weapons even more attractive – I expect to see a spike in Crucible usage of Haakon’s Hatchet and similar weapons like this one over the next few weeks.
DIS-43
PVP Rating: A-B
A mid-impact Scout Rifle with all the great perks Suros can throw at us, this is certainly one to consider if you’re a fan of Hung Jury or Tuonela. It trades off Stability for Range, so you’ll want to push that Stability back up – but no worries, Suros only has about a million great perks to choose from.
JLB-47
PVP Rating: S-A
This rocket launcher is perfect for Trials / Elimination, and does okay elsewhere too, especially if you have a Rocket Ammo chestpiece and Rocket Ammo boots so you can get more than 2 shots out of it. Probably would not recommend if for PVE though, due to the low inventory stat.
Aoife Rua-D
PVP Rating: A-B
This is a pretty solid sniper choice and can be custom-built for PVP or PVE, though it most likely won’t do well in both at once. With a mid-Impact stat it can res-snipe but won’t one-drop supers.
Uzume-RR4
PVP Rating: C
This lowest impact Sniper rifle can’t res-snipe on even a minimum Armor guardian in the Crucible, and low damage means it doesn’t particularly stand out as a tool for DPS either – Eirene can get near as much ammo and hits FAR harder. It does hold the dubious advantage of having very low aim assist however, so if that’s your cup of tea, have at it.